Wendie Nelson

Supporting Ecojustice for the long term while protecting Canada’s natural legacy for future generations

Hiking takes me to places where I feel connected to the natural world. I’m so fortunate to have access to a number of endless trails and local mountains in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. When I sit at the peak of one of these mountains, be it Seymour, Grouse, Strachan, or Black, I look down at our lovely waterways and I am grateful that Ecojustice is working to halt the approval of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

I think Ecojustice’s appeal of the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion approval is absolutely critical – and one of the many reasons why I choose to support this ongoing fight with my monthly gifts. I believe this pipeline is a threat on many fronts, both locally and globally.

As a resident of Burnaby, I’m concerned most about the increased risk of a potential oil spill and devastating impacts to marine life that come with increased tanker traffic in our area. There is no doubt in my mind that more tankers will add immeasurably to the stress experienced by marine life such as the Southern Resident orcas. Any additional stressors to this endangered orca population should not be tolerated by the federal government.

I also believe that just one spill of dilbit in the local waters would be a disaster. If spilled, it would be particularly threatening to the coastal environment because it is expected to sink, and thus be very difficult to recover.

Globally, Canada has signed on to the Paris Agreement on Climate Action and yet, the increased carbon that comes with transporting bitumen via this pipeline has been ignored in the NEB hearings. As humans we are very much a part of the environment and we must hold each other and our governments to account for maintaining the integrity of our natural world today and for the future.

That’s why I’m leaving a gift to Ecojustice in my will. It is a way of replacing my monthly donations once I’m gone. I truly value the work that Ecojustice staff does and this is my way of supporting them for the long term while protecting Canada’s natural legacy for future generations.